


Homecoming: The Companion Anthology

by pezzainwonderland



Series: Homecoming [2]
Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-04-08 03:53:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19099225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pezzainwonderland/pseuds/pezzainwonderland
Summary: Sam wasn’t going to abandon and betray Becca for a guy who’d just…popped upout of nowhere and caught him off guard.Even now, Sam was still trying to figure out where the hell Grizz had come from and how he’d missed him for so long.Well, he knew how. He’d given up on this town and the people in it long before it became New Ham. Sam hadn’t looked twice at Grizz (figuratively speaking, of course - literally, of course he had) because he’d cynically lumped him in with the rest of the douchebag, meathead jocks.He’d been so wrong.Sam missed him. It was weird how he could miss someone he’d only spent such a small amount of time with, but hedid, and he regretted how much time he’d wasted overlooking him.Or: A series of snippets to go along with my current Society work-in-progress, Homecoming, which is written entirely from Grizz's point of view.These short works will contain scenes from the story from other points of view (like Sam's, in particular) as well as side stories that aren't within the scope of Grizz's point of view (like what the others are up to while Grizz is off on his solo mission).





	1. The Return (Sam's POV)

**Author's Note:**

> hey hi turns out i really enjoy writing sam's POV so lol this is probably gonna largely end up being "homecoming: but sam"

It was strange, being in the hospital with Becca and Eden. It was as though the three of them existed in their own little bubble - a third, entirely different world altogether where things weren’t so bad.

A world where he was a _father_. It hadn’t quite hit him until he’d seen her in Becca’s arms. The reality of the situation came crashing down upon him in that moment and, for a second, Sam completely forgot how to breathe.

How was he supposed to be a parent? In fucking _New Ham_ , no less.

Yeah, he’d always wanted kids, but he’d wanted _the whole package_. He’d wanted love and a family, and it wasn’t that Sam didn’t love Becca - he did. He adored her. She was more family to him than Campbell was.

But she wasn’t who he wanted.

Sam had committed to her, to this, before he’d even known what he wanted - or who. He’d given up on love too quickly. His pessimism had caught up with him, it seemed, and he was suffering the consequences.

Even with things as fucked up as they were, even though he potentially lost someone he really cared about because of this, Sam fell in love with Eden the second he saw her. There was no question in his mind that he was her father, and she was his baby, blood be damned. She was perfect. She was everything he could have ever hoped for.

And Becca was his best friend, and he’d always been told that your partner in life should be your best friend.

All things considered, he’d done alright. Not perfect, but alright.

Maybe perfect wasn’t entirely out of the question just yet. He wouldn’t know until Grizz came back, until they could sort through everything that had happened between them and figure out where it left them. Sam wanted Grizz to forgive him more than anything, but he couldn’t force him - he couldn’t make him okay with this.

And Sam wasn’t going to abandon and betray Becca for a guy who’d just… _popped up_ out of nowhere and caught him off guard.

Even now, Sam was still trying to figure out where the hell Grizz had come from and how he’d missed him for so long.

Well, he knew how. He’d given up on this town and the people in it long before it became New Ham. Sam hadn’t looked twice at Grizz (figuratively speaking, of course - literally, of course he had) because he’d cynically lumped him in with the rest of the douchebag, meathead jocks.

He’d been so wrong.

Sam missed him. It was weird how he could miss someone he’d only had such a small amount of time with, but he _did_ , and he regretted how much time he’d wasted overlooking him.

He was holding Eden, admiring her, missing Grizz, when Becca tapped his arm gently.

“You okay?” she signed, concerned.

Sam realized, then, that his vision was clouded by unshed tears, and he quickly sniffed, trying to blink them away. He nodded, and Becca reached for the baby so that his hands would be free, “Just overwhelmed,” he assured her with a soft smile.

He reached out to play with Eden’s hands - he loved her hands, and her tiny feet. He found them charming. When she wrapped her little fingers around one of his, his heart swelled.

“She likes you,” Becca said aloud, signing as best as she could with Eden in her arms and letting Sam fill in the rest.

He grinned, giving a shrug, “She’s alright too, I guess,” he teased, “Could’ve done with a bit more Eliot in her, though.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Becca scolded, swatting him playfully, and Sam chuckled. He was beaming at her when her gaze moved past him to the doorway, “Grizz! You’re back!”

For a second, Sam was afraid he’d misread her lips, and he immediately turned to check, his heart racing. He let out a breath that he’d been holding ever since Grizz had left when he saw him, whole and in the flesh. He looked a little worse for wear, sure, but he was _back_ \- he was okay.

“Hi,” he breathed, and his entire being was screaming at him to go to him, but he didn’t know if that would be alright. He didn’t know where he stood with Grizz. Things had been different before he left - complicated. He didn’t know if they were okay, or if Grizz wanted Sam to come to him.

And he hadn’t told Becca yet. He’d been trying to think of how to do it, but then she’d gone into labour, and with Eden and her recovery…

It just wasn’t the right time. It was never the right fucking time.

Which became abundantly clear when Grizz explained to them what was really going on out there, beyond the walls of the hospital, and, all at once, their little bubble popped.

Of course this was Campbell’s doing. Sam had known that it was only a matter of time before Campbell got sick of following the rules - he’d tried to warn them all, but it had been to no avail.

Grizz asked if the party could stay there with them for a bit, until they figured things out, and Sam was elated, “There are plenty of beds,” he joked, beaming up at the taller man, excited at the idea of having him around the hospital - it would give them a lot of time together to figure things out.

At least, he hoped it would.

By the look on Grizz’s face, however, maybe he wasn’t so sure, “Right, yeah,” he offered in return, and Sam’s smile fell.

Grizz started to excuse himself, and Sam shook his head ever so slightly, brow furrowed in confusion because that couldn’t be _it_. He’d been gone for a week, Sam had missed him, and that was _it_?!

Like hell it was.

He turned to Becca once Grizz had left and carefully removed his finger from Eden’s grasp, “I’m gonna go check on the others - make sure everyone’s okay,” he signed hurriedly, “I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Becca nodded.

Sam hurried after Grizz, calling out to him before he reached to stop him. He couldn’t help but smile when Grizz turned to him - it was a smile of relief, really, and he had to reach up and touch his cheek, feel that warmth, just to be sure he was really there, “You came back,” he muttered, “You’re okay. You are okay, right?”

He looked him over, not seeing any visible signs of injury - no blood, and he was walking and standing normally. He seemed fine, and Grizz assured him he was, but something was off, “What’s wrong?” He asked, gripping his coat pockets tightly in his hands - until his knuckles were white - because he didn’t want to lose him again. He didn’t want him to leave. He wanted to fix this so badly…

“It’s a lot to swallow,” Grizz admitted, and Sam nodded in understanding. He wanted to tell him that it was a lot for him, too - that he was overwhelmed, and scared, and that was all the more reason why he needed Grizz to stay.

He made him feel safe.

When Grizz put distance between them, keeping Sam’s hands in his, Sam knew that this conversation wasn’t going to go how he wanted it to.

“You waited until I left Becca’s room to come to me,” Grizz began, and Sam immediately opened his mouth to protest - to explain that he’d only waited out of respect for Grizz, and for how things had been before he’d left. Sam hadn’t wanted to assume anything, or push him if he wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.

He’d _only_ done it for him.

But Grizz stopped him before he could even begin to tell him any of that, ”No, I know - you don’t want to upset her right now. I get it - I got that, but I just…I don’t want to be your secret,” he shrugged, “I kept myself secret all through high school, Sam. I’m done.”

Sam was in near physical pain. There was so much he wanted to say, to explain. He wanted to insist that he didn’t want to keep Grizz a secret either - his heart broke for him, for the fact that he had felt like he needed to do that for so long, and Sam understood where he was coming from, but he was assuming so many things about Sam’s intentions…

But he stayed quiet, because he couldn’t give Grizz the promises or answers that he wanted just yet. He had a baby to think of, Becca was still recovering. Sam just needed time…

“Tell her the truth,” Grizz pressed gently, “Doesn’t have to be now, but if you want to do this - “ he squeezed his hands, “You’re gonna have to tell her first. Okay?”

Of course he wanted to do this - he couldn’t believe that that was even in question. He’d never wanted anything more in his life. He was sure of it, “Okay,” he agreed quietly.

Grizz smiled sadly, stepping closer to kiss Sam’s forehead sweetly, and Sam closed his eyes, melting into the feeling.

He didn’t want him to go.

Grizz stepped away from him, and Sam looked up at him, wondering if Grizz might be able to see his heartbreak strewn across his face - in the tears in his eyes.

“I’ll be around if you need me,” he promised with a sweet smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. This was hard on him, too - Sam knew that.

He did his best to return the smile and nodded and, when Grizz tried let go of his hands and leave him behind, Sam held on as long as he possibly could.

He hated that he had to let him go, but he swore to himself that it wouldn’t be for good. He was going to fix this. He could wait - he’d waited this long for someone like Grizz to come along.

A little bit longer wouldn’t kill him, even if it sort of felt like it sometimes...


	2. Aftermath (Grizz's POV)

He couldn’t sit still.

There was a restlessness brewing deep in his gut, churning constantly, almost making him sick with the need to move, to run, to hide, to do _something_ besides lay around all day, wounded and vulnerable.

And he _was_ wounded. That was, perhaps, the worst part of it. Grizz felt like he needed to be doing more to make sure they were safe, to make sure they were protected, but he was confined to non-strenuous tasks until his wounds healed, and it was keeping him from getting out there and making sure that Campbell was taken care of - that nothing like this would ever happen again.

He _needed_ to know that this could never happen again because, sometimes, when the nightmares came, when he closed his eyes and hear the crack of the shot, felt the burning, blinding pain in his side, Grizz felt like he couldn’t fucking breathe.

Or, when he was awake, and he was so fucking sure he saw someone move out of the corner of his eye, he would turn too quickly, and a sharp pain would shoot up his side and remind him of what had happened that day, and he would be thrown right back into that struggle - that feeling of barely being able to catch his breath, throwing blind punches at a figure he could barely see through clouded vision that was starting to darken around the edges while he took hit after hit that he never really saw coming.

Some days, he hardly remembered that day - it all blurred together in his mind, and he couldn’t even remember how he’d managed to best Campbell in the shape he’d been in.

On others, it would come back to him in horrific, vivid flashes that would come at him at any given moment. He never knew what would trigger those memories, but they would always immobilize him - wind him momentarily until he could find his way back again.

Sleeping was almost impossible.

Every little sound, every creaking floorboard, set him on edge and made his heart race.

Tonight was one of the worst he’d had.

He couldn’t stop thinking about it. His side was aching, and he couldn’t stop replaying what had happened over and over in his mind, trying to think of what he could’ve done differently to avoid it, or what might’ve happened if he’d lost that fight.

When he couldn’t just lie there any longer, Grizz carefully climbed out of bed, being careful not to jostle Sam as he did so. He didn’t want to wake him.

He made his way downstairs, moving slowly and carefully - partially due to pain, partially due to a fear that he couldn’t quite wrap his head around. Just an unlabeled sense of anxiety - like he was just waiting for something horrible to happen, or something to jump out at him from the shadows.

It was a bad night.

He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, staring at the door, waiting on no one, before Sam came looking for him - like he always did. Grizz appreciated it more than he could ever properly express, but he also felt incredibly guilty for making Sam feel like he needed to care for him to that extent.

He never wanted to be a burden to him. Being with Sam, and Sam being with him, was something that was meant to be a reprieve - an escape from this hell hole they found themselves in.

He worried that Sam having to deal with this, so early in their relationship, was going to ruin that.

He flinched when Sam touched him and, immediately, the guilt he felt began to envelop him completely.

He was ruining everything.

This was going to ruin _everything_.

_”Tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.”_

“Help me how? You gonna follow me around all the time - check every dark fucking corner for me to make sure there are no monsters? C’mon, Sam,” he could hear himself speaking, could hear how short he was being, but he couldn’t stop it. He was scared, and frustrated, and he didn’t understand what was happening to him.

But Sam…

Sam was something else. He was patient beyond belief, because when Grizz snapped at him, Sam only offered to be there more, to take on more, to take care of him in any way he needed to, and it broke Grizz.

“I’m sorry,” he choked as he sobbed into his hands. He knew Sam wouldn’t hear it but, when he tried to turn to say it again, Sam pulled him closer and held him tightly against him, offering reassurances and support.

So, Grizz clung to him instead, and hoped that that would reiterate his apology for him - let Sam know that he appreciated him being there.

That he _wanted_ him there, no matter how awful and dismissive he seemed.

He just didn’t know what to do.

Eventually, Grizz’s tears ran dry, and his side began to ache from the position in which he sat. He felt Sam press a kiss against the top of his head, “I’ve got an idea,” Sam muttered, sitting back and offering him a smile.

Grizz, too, sat up and wiped at his tear-stained cheeks, “Okay,” he ventured, “What kind of idea?”

“Trust me,” Sam stood, reaching out to take Grizz’s hand.

Grizz let Sam lead him back upstairs. Rather than take him back to the bedroom, however, Sam lead Grizz into the bathroom.

When he turned, Grizz quirked an eyebrow, “What’re we doing?”

“Wait here,” Sam requested, lifting himself up on his tip toes as he passed to kiss Grizz’s cheek before he stepped back out into the hall.

Grizz leaned back against the bathroom sink to wait. It wasn’t long before Sam returned with an armful of clothes and towels.

Grizz couldn’t help but smile as Sam closed the door carefully behind him, “What are you doing?” he signed, intrigued.

“Something my mom used to do when I was a kid,” Sam explained, setting the neatly folded clothes on the counter next to where Grizz leaned and reaching to grab a wash cloth off the hook, “Whenever Campbell was being a dick, or the kids at school upset me,” he turned on the tap, letting the water run over his fingers to check the temperature before he soaked the cloth, “She’d always do some variation of this with me. She called it ‘starting over.’”

He turned off the tap and wrung out the excess water before he turned to Grizz, gesturing toward the toilet, “Sit,” he prompted gently.

Grizz glanced behind him to be sure the lid was down before he did as he was told. Sam stepped past him and settled on the edge of the tub, placing a hand on Grizz’s thigh to prompt him to turn toward him.

He leaned forward, then, and Grizz’s breath caught - as it still always did whenever he was sure Sam was about to kiss him.

Sam smiled fondly but, instead of kissing him, he lifted the cloth and gently began to press the warm cloth against his cheeks, “First, get rid of the tears. It’s hard to feel better if you still feel like you’ve been crying,” he explained softly.

Grizz nodded, “Feels nice,” he murmured.

“Good.”

Grizz closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, already feeling himself start to relax. He knew that it was about more than just the warm cloth, or Sam’s mom’s methods of comfort. It was about Sam himself. Sam’s presence alone was soothing.

He groaned when the cloth was removed and opened his eyes to frown at Sam in disappointment, “That’s it?”

Sam chuckled and shook his head, pointing toward the shower, “You have to wash it all away - the whole day. Start completely fresh.”

“Starting over,” Grizz repeated.

“Exactly,” Sam bit his lip, hesitating, “I thought we could maybe do it together. I could help you,” he ventured.

Grizz smiled, reaching to touch the pink flush that had bloomed on Sam’s cheeks at the suggestion. It was sweet - endearing, “Sure,” he agreed, heart racing.

He knew there was nothing sexual about what they were about to do - neither of them were in the mood for that.

But it was intimate. Somehow, that made Grizz far more nervous than sex ever had.

In the best way possible.

Intimacy was what he’d always wanted, and what he’d always been missing.

To have it with Sam was...indescribable.

“Okay,” Sam grinned when Grizz agreed, his cheeks still flushed as he set the cloth aside.

Grizz rose, beginning to undress. They’d seen each other naked before, but the circumstances were different. This just felt _different_.

He offered Sam a smile when he glanced up at him, then carefully pulled his t-shirt up over his head, letting his right arm do most of the work.

Sam’s face fell, and the redhead tilted his head with an almost pained expression as he reached to gingerly brush his fingers over Grizz’s bruised side.

Grizz reached out to place a finger under Sam’s chin, prompting him to look at him, “It looks worse than it feels,” he assured him, and it was the truth. The bruising was getting older, the colors deep and alarming, but the area wasn’t nearly as tender as it had once been.

Sam swallowed and nodded, turning to start the water to allow it time to heat up before he, too, began to undress.

Unable to help himself, Grizz leaned in to press a chaste kiss against Sam’s freckled shoulder, and Sam turned to steal a quick kiss before he grabbed the cloth once more and they climbed into the shower.

The warm water cascaded down over them, and Sam steered Grizz to stand under the spray. Sam reached for the shampoo, first, and Grizz bent he head forward to grant him easier access when he reached up to run his fingers through his hair, creating a lather while he massaged his scalp.

Grizz closed his eyes, allowing himself to get lost in the feeling.

“Is this hard for you to do on your own?” Sam asked.

“A little,” Grizz signed lazily. He looked up at the shorter man when he felt his hands fall away, “I’ve mostly just been using my right arm,” he explained, holding up the hand in question, “It’s kind of uncomfortable to reach up and stretch it out like that, you know? It, like...tugs,” he wrinkled his nose.

“Gross,” Sam teased.

Grizz chuckled, “You’re telling me.”

Sam let Grizz rinse the shampoo from his hair before he carried on, repeating the process with conditioner, then moving on to gently massaging and cleansing away the day, and the trauma, from his body. The pair were quiet while Grizz just allowed himself to relax into the gentle, unassuming touches.

And, for the first time in a long time, he felt _safe_.

Grizz lost complete track of time but, after a while, Sam reached past him to turn off the water, and Grizz mourned the loss of the warmth and the contact.

Sam stepped out first, grabbing a towel and handing it to Grizz before he grabbed one for himself. After wrapping the towel around his waist, Grizz reached to catch Sam’s hand to get his attention, “Thank you for this,” he murmured.

Sam brows furrow together as he looked up at him with a fond smile, “Of course. You don’t need to thank me.”

Grizz shook his head, “No, I do. I do. I’m sorry I’ve been so…” he trailed off, jaw clenching, “I’m just sorry.”

Sam’s brow softened, and it was his turn to shake his head, “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. I promise.”

“I’ll get better,” Grizz promised in return, “I just need some time, that’s all.”

Sam smiled, “I know.”

Of course he did. Sam was so understanding, and patient. Grizz wasn’t sure what he’d done right somewhere along the line to deserve someone like Sam, but it must’ve been pretty fucking spectacular.

Rather than thank him again, Grizz tugged him closer and bent to kiss him. Sam sighed, reaching up to cup his jaw when Grizz wrapped his arms around the smaller boy’s waist.

They kissed languidly for a moment, neither ever making any move to do more, both just enjoying simply kissing because, really, it had been such a long time since they’d just been able to focus solely on this, and on each other.

Grizz couldn’t help but smile when Sam stepped back, and Sam returned the smile ten fold.

He’d always had the most blinding smile.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Good,” Grizz assured him, “Much better. Your mom was a genius.”

Neither of them missed the use of the past tense.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed softly, “She was.”

They redressed in the clothes that Sam had brought for them - all of which were soft and plushy (something Grizz was sure had been intentional) - and quietly made their way back to the room they shared, hand in hand.

They climbed back into bed, settling under the covers with Grizz’s chest pressed against Sam’s back, his arms around the redhead’s waist, their fingers intertwined, and Grizz felt at peace. He felt whole again.

And when he fell asleep, he didn’t have nightmares.


End file.
